How Do You Get Help Writing a Story?

Some of the resources available for help writing a story include online and print magazines such as "Writer's Digest" and the Write Practice, as well as blogs and forums for beginning writers. It is also a good idea to read a lot of stories to understand how they work in terms of narrative and characters. A local writing group or workshop can also provide a great deal of help with writing a story.

Magazines and blogs about writing stories can give suggestions for getting a story on the page, including developing the plot toward a climax, creating an interesting protagonist, and building characters and setting by showing instead of telling. These resources can help transform an idea into a cohesive and interesting piece of writing.

A writing workshop can be one of the most valuable assets when writing a story, since each piece is read and discussed by the group. Readers can find plot issues or opportunities to improve character development that the writer completely missed. The writer may be too close to the story to realize its flaws, while readers can assess the entire story and suggest edits to improve the sentences, the flow of the narrative or the dialogue.